Combination cap and coupler



Feb. 16, 1965 s. GOGEL 3,169,562

COMBINATION CAP AND COUPLER Filed April 17, 1962 FIG.8 43

will/ w INVENTOR SIDNEY GOGEL Fl G. 9

ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice 3,169,562 Patented Feb. 16, 19653,169,562 COMBEIATION CAP AND CQUPLER Sidney Gogol, 1096 Lana Place,North Bellmore, N.Y. Filed Apr. 17, 1%2, Ser. No. 188,090 11 Qlaims.((31. 141384) This invention relates to a combination cap and coupler tobe used as a cap for a container and also as a coupler for transferringthe contents of one container to another.

The combination cap and coupler according to the present invention isformed as a single integral unit and may be supplied with a container,such as for example with a collapsible tooth paste tube, instead of thecustomary cap unsually furnished therewith. When used with tooth pastetubes, the combination cap and coupler of the present invention willserve as a cap during daily use of the contents of the tube. When thetube is nearly. empty, it often becomes difiicult and bothersome toremove the last portion of the contents of the tube, particularly when,the tube has not been squeezed from the bottom and the bottom edge hasnot been rolled up. Children, for example, are particularly prone tosqueezing the tube from the middle or the top rather than from thebottom. In such cases the last portion of the contents are distributedhelter skelter throughout the length of the tube. Such tubes which stillhave tooth paste therein are often discarded and the contents remainingtherein is wasted. By using the combination cap and coupler of thepresent invention it is possible to transfer such partial contents intoanother tube which has only been slightly used, thereby salvaging thepartial contents of the tube in one simple operation. This, therefore,also avoids the bothersome task of transferring the last and difficultto remove portion of the tooth paste to a tooth brush each time it isused and also makes it possible to transfer the contents of a tube orsqueeze bottle that has accidentally ruptured, thereby preventing thedrying out of products such as tooth paste, shaving cream, glue, ink,alcohol, perfumes, etc.

Although, according to the above description, the present invention isparticularly adaptable for use with collapsible tooth paste tubes, it isto be understood, as will become apparent from the followingdescription, that it may be adapted equally as well for use with squeezebottles of any other type container.

Heretofore, devices have been used for transferring the contents ofcollapsible tubes from one tube to another. In one known device, a tubeis made with an externally threaded nozzle which is adapted to engagethe internal thread of the nozzle of another tube. The disadvantage ofthis device is that the nozzles of each one of the two tubes have to bemade of a dilferent size and construction.

In another known device, a coupling was provided with a pair of squeezebottles, the coupling having internally threaded portions for engagingthe externally threaded necks of the two squeeze bottles. The couplingcould also be provided with an externally threaded stopper adapted toengage one internally threaded portion of the coupling while the otherthreaded portion of the coupling would engage the threaded neck of asqueeze bottle. In this way, the combining of the separate coupler andseparate stopper would function as a closure for one of the bottles. Thedisadvantage of this arrangement is that it requires two separate piecesto seal the container so that if either the coupler or stopper weremisplaced, the squeeze bottle could not be sealed because neither thecoupler alone nor the stopper alone could provide a closure.

It is the general object of the present invention to avoid and overcomethe foregoing and other difliculties of and objections to prior-artpractices by the provision of a combination cap and coupler having theappearance of a cap but which may be used as a cap or as a coupler.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a combination capand coupler having a relative simple construction and which may bemanufactured at a relatively low cost.

Still another object is to provide a combination cap and coupler whichmay be made of plastic and which may be made to conform to the generalshape and appearance of caps currently being used.

A further object is to provide a combination cap and coupler which maybe used for containers having different sized outlet nozzles.

A still further object is to provide a combination cap and coupler whichmay be used initially as a cap on a container and later converted to acoupling by punching out an easily removable wall portion.

The aforesaid objects of the present invention and other objects whichwill become apparent as the description proceeds are achieved byproviding a combination cap and coupler formed as a single integral unitand which has at least two connecting means, one of which is used as forsecuring the cap-coupler to a container when it is used as a cap andanother which is used for securing the capcoupler to another containerto which the contents of the first said container are to be transferred.

For a better understanding of the present invention reference should behad to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals of referenceindicate similar parts throughout the several views and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment showing an integralseparating wall between two threaded portions and a cover plate over theend of one of the threaded portions.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cap-coupler of FIG. 1 with aportion of the separating Wall and the cover plate removed.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross section of an alternate embodiment of theseparating Wall.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are variations in construction of the integral separatingwall.

I FIG. 6 is a plan view of another embodiment in which a permanentseparating wall is provided.

FIG. 7 is a sectional View taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional View of a further embodiment of thecap-coupler shown coupled to two containers.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment which may be usedfor various size containers.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited in its application to thedetails of construction and arrangement, of parts illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also,it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed isfor the purpose of description and not of limitation.

With specific reference to the present invention illustrated in thedrawings and referring particularly to FIG. 1, the combinationcap-coupler, indicated generally at 19, has a casing element 11 whichmay have a general shape resembling an ordinary conical tooth paste caphaving an integral annular ring 12 at one end.

One end portion of the element 11 is provided with an opening havingthreads 14 therein adapted to engage the threads of a nozzle 16 of acontainer 18. The other end portion is similarly provided with anopening 20 having threads 22. Between the two end portions, wall meansformed integral with the element 11 are provided. The integral wallmeans consists of an annular ring 24 and a cylindrical plug 26, both ofwhich are formed integral with the element 11. As can be seen in FIG. 1,the arrangement of the ring 24 and the plug 26 is such that anycompressive forces acting on the right hand face of plug 26 will betransferred as a compressive force through the ring 24 to the element11. Such compressive forces will pass through the outer peripherial edgeof the plug 26 to the peripherial edge of the ring 24- so that the plug26 and ring 24 will act, in effect, as a valve plug and valve seatrespectively. When the threads 14 of the element 11 are secured to thenozzle 16 of the container 13, the end of the nozzle 16 will abut theright hand side of plug 26 with sufiicientforce to provide a sealbetween the end of the nozzle 16 and the face of the plug 26 withoutdanger of the wall means separating from the element 11 since theannular ring 24 will provide the necessary support for the plug 26. ThusFIG. 1 shows how the cap-coupler 1% functions as a cap.

In order to use the cap-coupler as a coupler, the cover plate 28, whichis held on one end of the element 11 by any known means such as by theannular flange and groove shown in F1G.1, is removed from the element 11and the plug 26 is punched out by any readily available oblong objectsuch as the end of a pencil. The oblong object is inserted in theopening 2i and pressed against the left face of the plug 26. As can beseen in EEG. 1, the plug 26 is joined to the ring 24 by a marginal areahaving a cross section which is narrower than any other portion of thewall means so that the force of the oblong object acting on the plug 26will separate the plug 26 from the ring 24 along this narrow or marginalcross section. After the plug 26 has been removed a second container 30having a nozzle 32 is threaded into the threaded portion 22 of theelement 11. The end of the nozzle 32 may abut one face of the ring 24 toprovide a seal therebetween. The container 13 is then connected to theelement 11 and the end of the nozzle 16 may abut against the ring 2 inthe area where the plug 26 was broken oil as shown in FIG. 2. Thus FIG.2 illustrates how the cap-coupler 19 may be used as a coupler fortransferring the contents of container 18 to the container 30. The coverplate 23 need not be provided. If provided it would close off the end ofthe element 11 and keep the opening 29 free of foreign matter. Also thecover plate 28 would make the cap-coupler appear like a closed top cap.

As an alternate embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the plug 26a may be joinedto the plug by a cylindrical extension 34. When the plug 24a is punchedout as described above, the wall means will part through the cylindricalextension 34 which is the weakest area of the wall means.

It is to be noted that in the embodiments of FIGS. 13, the end of thecontainer nozzles provide a seal with the wall means. However, thecap-coupler according to the present invention, may be provided withother means for establishing the seal between the nozzles and thecapcoupler. For example, the cap-coupler may be provided with taperedthread to engage tapered thread of the nozzles so that the seal may beprovided between the tapered threads rather than against the wall means.

Further embodiments are shown in FIGS. 4 and in which the wall means areprovided with weakened areas so that it may easily be punched out by asharp blow. The wall means of FIG. 4 show an integral wall member 36consisting of cone shaped portions and a cylindrical portion between thecone shaped portions wherein the cone shaped portions, cylindricalportion, and element 1111 are all formed as an integral unit. It will benoted from FIG. 4 that a weakened area is formed at the annular areawhere the cylindrical portion joins the element 11b. The wall means isdesigned so that it is strong enough to withstand the ordinary forcesproduced by the fluid pressure of the contents of a container actingthereon, but not strong enough to withstand the force of a sharp blowimparted by an oblong object.

FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 4 except the wall means 360 is provided withspherical portions rather than cone shaped portions.

A further embodiment is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 in which a permanent wallmeans is used. In this embodiment, a threaded passage 37 is provided forthe coupler while a separate passage 39 is provided for the cap. Thepassage 39 is separated from the passage 37 by a permanen wall 4%. Thegeneral shape or" the cap-coupler according to this embodiment may becylindrical such as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 or conical as shown in FIG.8. In this latter figure, passages 37a and 39a are provided similar tothe corresponding passages of FIGS. 6 and 7. Two containers 4-2 and 43are shown threaded in the passage 37a of FIG. 8.

Since dillerent containers may have difierent size threads, acombination cap-coupler may be provided with two or more cap-couplersheld together as a single unit such as shown in FIG. 9. Means areprovided for securing each cap-coupler 5t), 52, 54 to an adjacentcap-coupler. This means may be, for example, in the form of an annularflange adapted to engage the annular grooves as shown in FIG. 9. Theflange-groove arrangement serves to hold the cap-couplers 5t), 52, 54together as a. unit but they may be easily separated merely by pullingone away from the other. The individual cap-couplers 5t 52, 54 may bemade to take the form of any one of the embodiments shown in FiGS. 15and is not necessarily limited to the form shown in FIG. 9. The completeunit shown in PEG. 9 may be supplied with a container and the individualcap-coupler units separated to be used as couplers or caps for othercontainers having different size outlet nozzles. In order to adapt anyof the capcouplers in the embodiments of FlGS. 18 for use with diiierentsize containers, it is also possible to use different size passages oneach cap-coupler so that one passage would be adaptable to be connectedto a container having a certain size discharge nozzle while the otherpassage of the same cap-coupler could be adaptable to be connected toanother container having a dir'ferent size discharge nozzle. Thus forexample, the size of the thread 14 in FI". 1 could be made differentfrom the size of the thread 22.

If desired, the plug 26 in FIG. 1, after it has been detached from theelement 11, may be replaced within the element 11 so that the element3.1. may be used as a cap once again. bus when the plug 26 is replaced,its outer peripheral edge will seat on one side of the ring 24 and beheld in place by the end of the nozzle 16 after the nozzle E6 is screwedon the threads 14. In this way the end of the nozzle 16 is sealed as itpresses the plug 26 against the ring 24.

The invention hereinabove described may be varied in construction withinthe scope of the claims, for the particular device selected toillustrate the invention is but one of many possible embodiments of thesame. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the precisedetails of the structure shown and described.

I claim:

1. A combination cap and coupler for containers, comprising a casingelement, said casing element having a pair of internally threadedrecesses, wall means between said recesses formed integral with saidcasing element, an integral tubular section being incorporated betweenthe wall means and the casing'element; said wall means cooperating withone of said recesses to serve as a cap for a container, said wall meansbeing adapted to be removed from the tubular section which is integralwith said casing element by the severing of said wall means from thetubular section, to thereby provide communication between said recessesso that said casing element can serve as a coupling for transferring thecontents of one container connected to one threaded recess to anothercontainer connected to the other threaded recess.

2. A combination cap and coupler for containers, comprising a casingelement having two recesses, said recesses each having connecting meansfor connecting the casing element to containers, wall means formedintegral with ist:

said casing element for isolating the recesses from one another, saidwall means cooperating with one of said recesses to form a cap, saidwall means being adapted to be separated from the casing element tothereby provide communication between said passageways so that saidcasing element may be used as a coupler.

3. A combination cap and coupler as set forth in claim 2 wherein saidwall means consists of a member having opposed cone shaped portions anda cylindrical portion between and formed integral with said cone shapedportions, the outer cylindrical wall of said cylindrical portion beingjoined with said casing element by an integral connection.

4. A combination cap and coupler as set forth in claim 2 wherein saidwall means consists of a member having opposed spherical portions and acylindrical portion between and formed integral with said sphericalportions,

the outer cylindrical wall of said cylindrical portion being joined withsaid casing element by an integral connection.

5. A combination cap and coupler as set forth in claim 2 wherein saidwall means includes an annular ring on the inside of said casingelement; a cylindrical member joined to one side of said annular ring;said ring, cylindrical member, and casing element being formed as asingle integral unit with the narrowest cross section of the Wall meansbeing at the juncture between the ring and the cylindrical member.

6. A combination cap and coupler as set forth in claim 2 wherein saidwall means consists of an annular ring on the inside of the casingelement; a hollow cylindrical member joined to one side of said annularring; a solid cylindrical member joined to one end of the hollow cylinder; said ring, hollow cylinder, and solid cylinder being formed as anintegral unit with the narrowest cross section of said wall means beingthrough the walls of said hollow cylinder.

7. A combination cap and coupler as set forth in claim 2 wherein saidcontainers are provided with nozzles adapted to be connected to therecesses of the casing element, said wall means cooperating with the endof said nozzles to form a seal therebetween.

8. In a combination cap and coupler for containers, comprising a casingelement, said casing element having two recesses with connecting meansfor connecting the casing'element to containers, wall means formedintegral with said casing element for isolating said recesses from oneanother, one of said passageways being adaptable to be connected to acontainer to serve as a cap, the other of said recesses being internallythreaded, the threads at opposite ends of said second recess being inopposite directions, said section recess being adaptable to be connectedto a container to act as a coupling, the axes of said recesses beingsubstantially perpendicular to one another.

9. in a combination cap and coupler as set forth in claim 8' whereinsaid casing element is in the shape of a truncated cone.

10. In a combination cap and coupler as set forth in claim 8 whereinsaid casing element is in the shape of a cylinder.

ll. A combination cap and coupler comprising, a plurality of casingelements, means for detachably connecting adjacent pairs of saidplurality of casing elements, each of said casing elements having a pairof connecting means for connecting to containers, the size of theconnecting means of one casing element being different than theconnecting means of any other of the said plurality of easing elements,each casing element having integral wall means separating the two saidconnecting means, said integral wall means being joined to itsrespective casing element by a portion having a cross sectional areawhich is narrower than any other cross sectional area of the respectivewall means so that the wall means may be separated from its respectivecasing element along this narrow cross section when suflicient force isapplied to the wall means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNlTED STATES PATENTS 129,820 7/72Hathway 222-541 1,319,928 10/19 Shields 222-538 XR 2,302,621 11/42Luboshez -41 2,773,521 12/56 Persson 141-383 XR 2,881,953 4/59 Kuschel141-383 XR 3,083,916 4/63 Neel 222-541 XR LAVERNE D, GEIGER, PrimaryExaminer.

2. A COMBINATION CAP AND COUPLER FOR CONTAINERS, COMPRISING A CASINGELEMENT HAVING TWO RECESSES, SAID RECESSES EACH HAVING CONNECTING MEANSFOR CONNECTING THE CASING ELEMENT TO CONTAINERS, WALL MEANS FORMEDINTEGRAL WITH SAID CASING ELEMENT FOR ISOLATING THE RECESSES FROM ONEANOTHER, SAID WALL MEANS COOPERATING WITH ONE OF SAID RECESSES TO FORM ACAP, SAID WALL MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO BE SEPARATED FROM THE CASINGELEMENT TO THEREBY PROVIDE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID PASSAGEWAY SO THATSAID CASING ELEMENT MAY BE USED AS A COUPLER.